THE ADDINGTON WORKSHOPS.

Press, Volume XXXI, Issue 4285, 24 April 1879, Page 2

THE ADDINGTON WORKSHOPS.

A special meeting of the Chamber of Com- hi merce. was held yesterday to tneot the ffiem- \, bers for the city in the General Asiesafclj r respecting the Addington workshops par- k euant to the following temlation psutmd at the p late publio meeting held in the Qddisllovni' I Hall:—«' That the Mayor oTflbHitclrawi be |- requested to communicate 'wfth the rosmbera }. of the Assembly and the CfflraifeoF o£ Cc»« I meroe to take the necastarj stops to ftseure |, the erection of the .railway wnWhop »* *»• ': dington." J The following members oftibo CbMis f were present.—Messrs 0. W. Turner (elae- { man), L.E. Nathan, W. D. Wood, Bμ I • Gould, JVGoss, A. Cuff, H. Thomson, I ; Cameron, G. Booth, W. Pratt, J. Ballintjs* » J. J. Fletcher, W. Day, George HarU. j Kiver, junior, J. Anderson, junior, ana t* Hon. J. Ti Peacock. , t - The Hon. B. KicherdsotJ, Messrs B. C. *• f Stevens, and W. Moorhouse, fche dtjmiism | in the House of Eepreaentatives, were«* , present. : f*' The Chairman said he had esked two V f meet there that day in consequence ««™ t, letters which he had received, and wni«»- w f would now read to them. The fifst «* \, from Mr Haskins, town clerk, fora , a?aiß|» ■■ , resolution passed at a public meetingl*o » j the Oddfellows' Hall. [Letter read fromp* r town clerk, covering copy of the w»M»»j ; and requesting the Chamber, on tbepytt* v the Mayor, to carry the request therein ew* j. tamed into effeefc.J Two days after tbeft* t ceipt of .that letter he received the folla* 3 ! fr e: ~ 18th April, m \ Sir,—Adverting to a resolution < the 10th inatant, at a publio meeting; W l <f"T {■ church, requeafiiag the Mayor of } to cemmunicafce with the membersof j Aeeemblyand the Chamber ofOoßoereema v the view of taking the necessary steps to W&* : the erection of railway workshops at Addißgw „ we write to ask wlien it will enit the r of the Chamber of Commerco to meet«»"" subject. „. s> E. 0. J. Stbvb» 8 » j' E. EicHAKDaow, W. S. MOOEHOffS% t Aβ they were aware, the resolution rsKiw* | to in the town clerk's letter wm P**** **? t close of a publio meeting h«W tot X another purpose, viz., the secunug 01 &«» % holding of the next session of Pa rll » men LS * Ohristchurch. Just as the meeting 6 . | to close the resolution he had rofewedto w» t been carried. A day or two ttfter*rard« u» papers published a telegram [ Ester for PubHo Worls to theDne*} | people, which was as follows:-" ?f.?Z I be under some misapprehension , ton workehope. You cannot mean that "v . are.to be no workshops in Canterbury, t the removal of existing I Christohuroh to Addington, is detnroenwi j. Dunedin or implies that the PW*?£\j t workshops in the Middle Island ewtog J t Addington. The /^ I Christohurch is required for J Hence the removal of the ehope to Aacro f as provided for by the /PP"P»J^ ids i Eeiret this should offead 'I afc Dunedin." Aβ doubtless' «uwy | were aware the workihops here^β constructed by the Provinciall-β*' 7 f^ r8 £ k but the Dunedin. people i> f that the resolution [ 1870 or 1871, he was not * * worktop, should be in Db» dm, , superseded or pasied f bably their membere, who were pw*" 1 §

j»t would be able to gire them more info* on the point then he (the ehairmae he wenld therefore ask them t X£fMS them. ICr E. C. J. Sterex* said he thought tb< taenia of the Hon. Mr Maeandrew, whiel te&been published after the meeting at whiel rite resolution referred to by the chairmai been pitted had cleared up the difficult} • good deaL It was well known that tin . ifai of the Government wu to erect reri workshop! at Addington, and they had |2a acquiring a large quantity of land foi gsat purpose. Altogether the land acquired gad That the Government were acquiring foi tfce erection of these workihopi made up a jjrgoarea. Kβ had himself inspected the ate ta ice what really was intended to be done, and £»3 found that large bonding* ware in course jf section and near completion on the land fgspsred, as stated by his. So far as he ,40e2£ see it w&i impossible, in the face of 3£r Maosadrew'e telegram, and what had jjjgo done on the dt«, that the workjjymi would not be erected at Addington. •qftOber the Addington workshops would be the largest in the Middle Island, gr treated at the cental workshop! the Middle Wand depended, it appeared to him, rerj much on the derelopggnt of traffic in regard to other place* ffajeh were competing with it in regard to tnfic He thought the caie would be met, gaggr the circumstances, by the present puffing a resolution lomething to 4jie following effect:—"That this meeting h>l every confidence that no local eircum- . jtasfrt incorssietent with the best interests of gte public in the matter of the establishment of cental or other railway workshop* for the jGdcQe Island of Few Zealand will be peranlted to interfere with the question of tie site which shall be secured." He beliered tJBt some such resolution as this would put si right here locally, and also generally as regarded the colony, and he bettered that if the were done there would be no dispute as to the establishment of workshops in this eltee, or for the Middle Island generally. ilea. E. Biekardsoa said he hid not much to addto what had fallen from Mr Sterens, except go ey that he entirely agreed with him. The Mgin of this workshop question dated as far fcjck as 1871, when it was agreed that two fswe workshops should be established, one for the Forth Island and one for the Middle liiscd, the locale of the former being at Auckland and that of the latter at Dunedin, gad arrscgements were made accordingly. XJtdtr tJiaee circumstances the province of Canterbury had to make its own provision for worttaops, and provision was made for that purpose by bis friend near him (Mr Mooraoute) by parebaiing a block of land in the Hefttheote Teller. The Gorernment engineer, however, thought that a better site (roald be sft Aldington. It was idle to suppose ifaj-t iktj could do without workshop* here, sod it wa* abo idle to suppose that the ecfcjcE of the people at Dunedin would prevent the (Jovemment baring the workshops ]ore. He thought the matter would right jtulf, as Parliament would see where tie workshops were most necessary in the public interest He beliered that Mr Sterens , suggestion as to the resolution to be need there was a good one, and that the Qsnrnmenb would go on with the erection of t£s» workshops. Indeed they must go on, as to his knowledge there was a very large leoont of plant already here waiting for the baldingi, and the latter were now nearly roofed in- These buildings, he might say, we simply a Sea bite to what must be encUd to meet the requirements of the traffic It was no harm to mention here that if It had not been for the jealousy existing between Port Chalmers and Dunedin, the ieskibup3 there would hare been much. "ktgS- The bickerings which had gone on Between the local bodies had led to the estatSsliment of two workshops—one at Port CStafraers and one at the railway works in fimedin —when under other circumstances &ere would only here been one. Ho thought feat they should not at present go further than the resolution indicated by Mr Sterens, salaes there waa any attempt to take away the workshops from here altogether. If? W. S. Moorhouse quite concurred with list had been said by Mr Sterens and Mr Edbardson- He had read the telegram of Mr Maeandrew on the subject, and was quite dsstested with it. It was sot, he thought, aeasrarr for them to express anything more fees Mi Sterens' resolution, which was to tl» elect that they had confidence that the Guenl Governmeet would make their t&dfise of the general factory and workshops •w&e&wgarding local prejudices. Beading &*fe£gam by the light of what he knew of Mr J&sodrew, he thought that the intention rf& Sorernment was to carry on the work km. They should not, he thought, express tsj satiety on the subject, but leare the ffisfe? in the hands of the Gorernment. Tbe Chairman said the members of the Qaaiber had heard what their members had key on the snbjeet. He should be glad to bar aay dkeusaion on the subject or a resok&m brought forward. j£r Nathan thought the meeting was altof&K superfluous ; baring had the decidedly epessed opinion from Mr Macandrew they iasM be content to accept it as the expressed aeeaeaa of the Government. It was the most raeacible reply which could hsTe been giren to tie people of Dunedin on the subject. There n»ao doubt of this that the ciroumetancej <& &c colony had considerably changed since 1871, and that the peculiar circumstances of fbs coiosj- wife reference to its railway system sseessftstedthe erection of large workshops, satcslv ia Canterbury but in Otago. There w«s w> doabt of this, that while the rafl.wtj% easticced to be worked ac profitably Mti*j*tKcow tbsee requirements would astbe erekeied by the Gorernment, and tlat tie Otyo men would see that their "fSHKBenls for workshops would be attes&s& to. He would more—"That this : CJsssiiier fcruits that no consideration oth^? fe»a the meet efficient working of the raH**Th wSI be allowed to interfere in the aoafrf the site of the raUway workshops." HrH. Thomson had much pleasure in se&6&g the resolution proposed by Mr aj&iß, &c Djore so as he (Mr Thomson) had Bosghi the matter under the notice of the fsMb EeetJßg at which the original resolu«e hsd been mssed. Of courie since then * ffisimal di&rence had token place in the *K*st of aJ&Be, owing to the telegram of the Sm. Mr Maeaadrew. If such a telegram aa been sent before the meeting, xio JOfiSi WKfe&a v the one forwarded by ™,*»»« -*&>& hare been passed. But °*e«w* to say that the matter «wfroailoesljealouiy. They were accused « fcsag jeakwi of the South, and accusing ?f of us ? »• thought it was absurd I gKesyoisinet shoaid object to theestabI WQriaho because they were to I •t!?^. , * ,0 " ,, b «adari«. They must be I P«d vhfre the engineers saw that they I S^?™ 1 H*-tiought it would be difilI ?"««* * more central spot than AdI rfS 0, 'r 6O reflected on the number I lS? ¥ I " aw * T opened north and south. I W^ Ek | tii * t tae Hon. Mr Richardson I to the matter of the disputes I SIS. ! * l * ia Fort Chalmers. As I jZffceeathe spot for some time he htd I te^' 3^2 * of **■ There **" * Gh)' , *™* I Jsfc'i?" , * iar ■" , °rkehop» in PortOhalm SlWj^ l * ,l wew &***& to be erected I *»dS*^_? co P ofc U P * petition and I «orernment rery successfully, "so a &» Jzl_* *°Asbop was erected upon 1 fee^TL 5 "* of which he beliered had a teat V fe Municipal OounciL They I , or &c ? would fi . nd laoai m fcsSw! v n * lJ ' *° m** to deprive good 1 WZ? *S workshops. He beliered, I kSt l QoTernment would be 1 **? 4 aMee calculated I ■*«-> the engineere, in the 1 ibmL Htw - -S* much pleasure in I *^ I S^ 01,^01 ! was tten put and agreed to. 1 f** that the chairman be I *S^r t r > / orw «d the resolution of the I ISrL? ** for Public Worfa. 1 S*sb e^T aaid he desired to conrey the I *i efeTi to the members for I W iSI eiteadance that day. He ! I a their plaoea in Parliameat I I , " seessA. 1 "? u ? oa *^ c Qfl Tenunent 1 ** i e prepared to meet I 22. * food htrresi 1 « «» a»tt« of trwait 1 ,s N*f rf s " *?*'• At preeemt there were I NiWa *ad trucks under repair I tbrt «» «xi«enciee of the 1 H «eh flufe thire was no rest for 1 f 0 *** hence the necessity for re--1 ?sWte»S?* <wwed by the deficiency of 1 &ffiZf e»onnous, and if it I S ' 01sM "tcraish the public I fe* mtJt loH fer «"*■ ■ 1 S^fl^fl^ 8 lera than £25i000. H e I «a Z^ 003,18 toa °te the loss occa--1 *c^2? 50 TeseeLl b y detention for 1 jSt l ** f °o»d it came to orer I Jt J aD «t be remembered, wae I -s «** of freight into consideration,

but if they tc«V interest alt &•/ ralue cargo, 4%, it "would reach at least £100(f more en these seventeen reasels only* -He thought this was quite sufficient to prove the { absolute neeesritr of urging on the Gorero- j ment to take such stops as would effectually guard against such a lose being incurred next; season.

A rote of thanks to the members and to the Chairman concluded the oroceedings.